Customer Reviews

Slayer's Reign in Blood (33 1/3)

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The typical analysis or oral history of SLAYER usually comes down to their passionate fans yelling out "F-KING SLAYER!" or people on the other side that dismiss them as childish. D.X. Ferris has delivered a fascinating read with much more substance. Focused on the undeniable classic thrash album "Reign in Blood", Ferris explores everything about the band from the musical recording of the album, the always bizarre behind the scenes record industry maneuvering, and puts the career of a legendary band into perspective.
A thorough book about an iconic album which is their brutal masterpiece, with quotes from not only the band members and people who worked on the album, but a never-ending stream of metal peers and those influenced by this musical touchstone. A mandatory (suicide) read for every SLAYER fan, and hopefully for those who write them off as Satanic Nazis and don't bother to learn more. A great read.

Ferris has done his homework and interviewed a sufficient number of people, especially those directly involved. He's obviously a huge fan also, which any author who tackles one of these 33 1/3 books should be. The book is a highly enjoyable and informative read, even for those of us who remember waiting for this release. I learned a few things. "Reign In Blood" holds up incredibly well and, as the author and those interviewed state, it continues to be highly influential. I give much respect to the editors of this series for including it.

This book should be required reading for any metal fan.

The interviews are consistently interesting and give the reader a good sense of the real metal scene of the 80's. This book ain't about fluffy haired poseurs and their power-ballads.

Ferris provides everything you ever wanted to know about the record Reign In Blood, and tons of info on thrash metal in general. Even if you don't particularly care for Slayer, this book goes beyond the band and provides rare insight into the era of now-classic thrash.

Info about the band, the circumstances of how the album came to be, the story behind the cover art, breakdowns and stories about each song. Quotes from just about everyone involved and fans and other musicians who see this album as the work of art it is.

The material presented in this small book provides proof that this is THE definitive thrash metal album.

CONS: It takes a bit to get through the "SLAYER RULES" and "F*&%^G SLAYER" repetitiveness for a chapter and a half. Id knock off half a star for some of the annoying time-jumps the book goes through.

Its a very quick, informative and entertaining read. For under $10 there is no excuse for Slayer fans to miss it.

This book is absolutely astounding must-read stuff for Slayer/metal/music fans of all shapes and sizes. I can tell you this - if you hold Slayer's Reign in Blood in your holy trinity of album releases that would go with you to your metal desert island, then this is definitely your new favorite book. You won't find a more dedicated scribe than D.X., and having been on the inside as he's been working on this book over the past couple of years, The amount of work and interviews that he put into the project is incredible.

Reign in Blood is a true labor of love. More than that, Reign in Blood is a 153 page love letter to a favorite album of many, and a personal gift from Ferris to his fellow legion of Slayer fans worldwide. Basically, if you're a Slayer fan that doesn't already have this book on order from Amazon.com, what are you waiting for?

This is one of my favorite books that I've read this year, and the interview list of folks that Ferris talked to is incredible - nice to see him tracking down guys like Rick Rubin, that you don't see interviews from everyday. Check this book out - hope that you enjoy it as much as I did..

This book is the manual for why the thrash metal movement began, why it thrived, and what was the ultimate in thrash metal recordings, Slayer's "Reign In Blood". I was there when thrash was huge, my former band, Graphic Violence, was produced by Carl Canedy, who produced bands like Overkill, and Anthrax. I lived the original thrash movement. Thrash is now making a revival, and for those who werent there, this is the book to read. Honest and somewhat revealing, this tome shows the youth and vitality of the guys in the band, as they recorded the most important recording of thier carreer.Without hearing it from the horses mouth, the only way to know how it went down is this book...

If you're a Slayer fan, this book is a must for you. If you're not a Slayer fan, read this book and you will be. D.X. Ferris has history from the people who made the album happen, as well as people who have been influenced by it, and does a great job of showing why this album is loved by so many fans. Not just a stuffy history of album with "this happened, then this happened, then that happened," the book goes into the cult like following that this album has earned.

For about $10, you can't go wrong. And, at any price, you won't find a better book on Slayer.

Vince

There was Slayer's REIGN IN BLOOD. DX Ferris has not only captured the gritty rawness of a band possessed by being heavier than anyone else, but he captures the true spirit of this band at the time. Hungry, angry, and determined to show the world the fallacies of life and religion, REIGN IN BLOOD was THE ALBUM that showed anyone that came along after and claimed themselves as metal just how to do it. History speaks for itself - any true fan of Metal would never classify Slayer with other bands, nor would they list REIGN IN BLOOD with a collection of albums. DX Ferris does a masterful job with this book; not because it's some literary monster, but because it's real...just like this band has always been!

SLAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

the 33 1/3 series is, imho, unbelievably spotty: some of the books from the series are among the best examples of music criticism/journalism to be published in the last few years, while others are just completely useless wastes of bookshelf space.

i picked this one up based on the back cover's claim that there was in-depth discussion with not only the band but with producer rick rubin, engineer andy wallace and album cover designer larry carroll. while the book does technically contain interview clips with all of these principles, they are contained within an unbelievably unscholarly work that makes great pains to express how awesome the album in question is, without really explained why, or why it was made, or how it was made.

the book begins with a pretty rambling introduction that just never really takes off-- for a record that, musically, is so devoid of any fat or wasted space, this book amounts to little more than the endless prattling of a diehard fan. the surprising thing is that i find myself thinking this, as i am myself a pretty diehard slayer fan-- however, i think i was hoping for more of a critical assessment of the band, the album, and the album's place in history and society.

the book is front-loaded with, imho, rather obvious sentiments about how awesome the album is, as well as a bombardment of pretty stereotypical assessments of the culture of heavy metal at the time. considering how shocking and bizarre the album was upon its release, and how the band itself have managed to grow into respected elder statesmen as well as stable family men, all on a foundation built upon this record and its bold statement of chaos, disrespect for authority and relatively careless appropriation of what can best be termed "dangerous ideas", you would think that the stage would be set for a really meaningful and in-depth investigation into a fascinating time and place. instead, you get the author's pretty sophomoric rantings and comparisons, all executed with absolutely no wit or grace. for example, here is the final paragraph of the book, where the author is for some reason comparing slayer's discography to the "terminator" series of sci-fi films:

"'Reign In Blood''s rough predecessor, 'Hell Awaits', is the equivalent of the first 'Terminator'. Unlike that violent film franchise, Slayer has never rebooted with an all-new lineup. And the band has never made an album comparable to 'Terminator 3'--a wholly ignorable outing that fails to improve on a single facet of its forerunners. Therein lies Slayer's greatness."

these sort of mangled empty comparisons are par for the course in this book-- the writer just seems out of his league turning his ruminations on why slayer rules into a book-length thesis; you get the impression that the 33 1/3 people okay'd this one based on the lack of metal coverage in their to-date list of titles; a great book could indeed be written on this album, and why it is special; unfortunately, this ain't it.

D.X. Ferris' entry into the 33 1/3 series covering Slayer's seminal "Reign In Blood" is in my opinion one of the best to date.

Like most of the other 33 1/3 series books, Ferris gives a concise overview of the players, times and circumstances that resulted in the creation of Slayer's "Reign In Blood." Ferris obviously did his homework on this one and seems not only to be a fan but a competent journalist.

What I found most interesting about this were the asides regarding Rick Rubin, his history and his unusual production style. Even if you are not a member of the Slaytanic Wheremacht, this great entry in the 33 1/3 series deserves a place on your bookshelf.